Advanced Mechanics

From Euler's Determinism to Arnold's Chaos

S. G. Rajeev

Description

Classical Mechanics is the oldest and best understood part of physics. This does not mean that it is cast in marble yet, a museum piece to be admired from a distance. Instead, mechanics continues to be an active area of research by physicists and mathematicians. Every few years, we need to re-evaluate the purpose of learning mechanics and look at old material in the light of modern developments.

Once you have learned basic mechanics (Newton's laws, the solution of the Kepler problem) and quantum mechanics (the Schrodinger equation, hydrogen atom) it is time to go back and relearn classical mechanics in greater depth. It is the intent of this book to take you through the ancient (the original meaning of Along the way you will learn about elliptic functions and their connection to the Arithmetico-Geometric-Mean; Einstein's calculation of the perihelion shift of Mercury; that spin is really a classical phenomenon; how Hamilton came very close to guessing wave mechanics when he developed a unified theory of optics and mechanics; how Riemannian geometry is useful to understand the impossibility of long range weather prediction; why the maximum of the potential is a stable point of equilibrium in certain situations; the similarity of the orbits of particles in atomic traps and of the Trojan asteroids; about Julia sets and the Mandelblot; what Feigenbaum constants are and how Newton's iterations help establish the Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser theorem. By the end you should be ready to absorb modern research in mechanics.

Advanced Mechanics

From Euler's Determinism to Arnold's Chaos

S. G. Rajeev

Author Information

S. G. Rajeev, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester

Prof. Rajeev received his B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Kerala, Trivandrum, India (1979), and his Ph.D. in Physics from Syracuse University (1984). He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1984-87) before joining the University of Rochester as an Assistant Professor of Physics in 1987. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1993 and to Professor in 2000. Prof. Rajeev has held visiting appointments at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (1991), the Research Institute for Theoretical Physics, Helsinki (1991), and the Mittag-Leffler Institute, Stockholm (1998).

Advanced Mechanics

From Euler's Determinism to Arnold's Chaos

S. G. Rajeev

Reviews and Awards

"Rajeev's book provides a fresh look at the venerable subject of Classical Mechanics. Mathematical results on integrability, geodesic flows and the three-body problem, usually left out of physics textbooks, are introduced in a compact and elegant way and connected to recent developments on chaotic dynamics. Instructors will enjoy it as a textbook for an advanced Classical Mechanics course or as a complement to a more basic textbook in an introductory graduate course." -- Yannick Meurice, University of Iowa

"Sarada Rajeev has produced a masterpiece which is as steeped in tradition as it is modern in outlook. The book is a minimalist's dream, unleashing on the unsuspecting reader a treasure trove of novel results within its slender frame. The informal yet stimulating narrative, the excellent choice of topics, and the lucid explanations truly make the book a connoisseur's delight." -- V. V. Sreedhar, Chennai Mathematical Institute

"Rajeev approaches his choice of topics and organization from the point of view of one who is intimately familiar with modern physics. Although he starts from very elementary classical mechanics, he nevertheless does not shy away from sophisticated mathematical tools, such as elliptic functions, which he develops from scratch. This book should be of interest to many physics graduate students and researchers in physics, as well as to many mathematicians." -- Leonard Gross, Cornell University